


Waterlogged

by TheWeatherOutside



Series: Whumptober 2019 [43]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Drowning, Fake AH Crew, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Whumptober, Whumptober 2019, Whumptober Alternate Prompts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-22
Updated: 2020-02-22
Packaged: 2021-02-28 08:02:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22846831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWeatherOutside/pseuds/TheWeatherOutside
Summary: He had to show he didn’t care, because he cared so much for Ryan.When Ryan gets lured into a trap by another gang, Gavin does all he can to take his place.Whumptober Alternate Prompt 12 - Waterlogged
Relationships: Gavin Free/Ryan Haywood
Series: Whumptober 2019 [43]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1501415
Kudos: 37





	Waterlogged

**Author's Note:**

> This is based off of [this art](https://fckeahcrew.tumblr.com/post/169986155998/fckeahcrew-an-anon-requested-gav-in-ryans-fake) by @fckeahcrew on tumblr!

“You can’t go!”

“I have to.”

“No, you _don’t_. It’s a trap! Can’t you see that?”

Ryan sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Yes, Gavin. I do see that, I’m not an idiot.”

“Well, clearly you are if you think going is the _smart_ thing to do!” Gavin got between Ryan and the door so he couldn’t leave.

“Can I please get by?” Ryan said calmly.

Gavin crossed his arms. “No.”

Ryan sighed again, but then he gave Gavin a small smile.

“I’m not going anywhere. The meeting’s not until tomorrow. I just need to pee.”

“Oh.” Gavin hesitantly stepped aside. Ryan chuckled as he reached for the door handle and left the bedroom.

Gavin couldn’t help but watch him go down the hallway, but he did relax slightly as Ryan just went straight to the bathroom like he said.

He looked over at Ryan’s jacket that he’d left on the bed. He knew he shouldn’t snoop, but his boyfriend’s life was at stake and he couldn’t let that slide.

Gavin cast a panicked glance down the hall and, after seeing that Ryan hadn’t left the bathroom yet, he hurried over to the bed.

He grabbed the jacket and began searching the pockets for the note he’d seen Ryan slip in there before. He found it in one of the front pockets and took it out.

The piece of paper was folded, and he unravelled it to read what it said. He knew the general gist of what was on the note, as Ryan had told him, but he didn’t know the full details.

He almost dropped the note when he read what was on it.

_Meet with us or say goodbye to your Golden Boy_  
_The docks_  
_8am_

He heard a door open down the hall, and scrambled to refold the note and put it back in the same pocket he’d found it in as he heard footsteps outside the door. He placed the jacket just where he’d found it and sat on the edge of the bed.

A split second later, the bedroom door opened again, and Ryan stepped back in.

Gavin didn’t look at him. Still feigning anger at Ryan, when really he was taking in what that note had said.

Ryan was going to that meeting because of him. He was heading into a trap because he didn’t want Gavin to get hurt.

“Do you forgive me yet?” Ryan asked as he came to sit next to Gavin.

“No,” Gavin muttered back, although that wasn’t quite true anymore. It wasn’t Ryan’s fault. He was protecting him.

Gavin leant his head on Ryan’s shoulder and Ryan put his arm around Gavin’s waist.

They sat like that for a while. Ryan was likely thinking about this meeting tomorrow, about how he knew it wasn’t going to end well, but he’d go anyway for Gavin.

Gavin thought about how he couldn’t let Ryan step into a trap because of _him_. He wouldn’t see the man he loved get hurt, just to keep him safe.

At some point over the course of the evening, Gavin came up with a plan. He waited until everyone went to bed. He laid awake in bed with Ryan next to him, and waited until he could hear the soft, slow breaths that signalled his boyfriend had fallen asleep.

Gavin didn’t know how long he would be asleep for. If Ryan thought he’d be going to this meeting in the morning, he’d probably be kept awake with thoughts of what was going to happen. So, Gavin had to work fast.

He slipped out of bed slowly, careful not to jostle Ryan in the slightest. He hurried around the room, grabbing everything he needed.

Ryan could be a light sleeper at the best of times, but with this current situation, there was a risk he’d wake up at any moment, so Gavin left the room and went to change in the bathroom.

Everything that Gavin wore was Ryan’s. Well, except for the underwear and socks. He wore his t-shirt, his jeans- that Gavin needed to wear a belt for- even his shoes that were too big for Gavin’s feet.

He slipped on some body armour underneath it. Not so much for protection, but more because it would make his chest and shoulders look bigger.

I was no secret that Ryan was more muscular and filled out than Gavin was. He just hoped that these people hadn’t seen the Vagabond close enough to know exactly how tall he was.

He finished it all off with Ryan’s signature jacket. He looked at himself in the mirror.

This all felt wrong, all _looked_ wrong. It wasn’t the first time he’d worn Ryan’s clothes before, but that had always been for extra warmth or to feel close to Ryan when he was away for a long time.

It had never been like this.

He watched himself in the mirror for a moment longer, and then left the room.

He quietly walked back to the bedroom. Thankfully, the door didn’t squeak as he pushed it open again.

Ryan still slept soundly on the bed. Gavin chanced a kiss on his forehead, and smiled when Ryan still didn’t stir.

He straightened back up and made to leave, but then his attention was drawn to Ryan’s phone on the nightstand.

Gavin knew that Ryan would have set himself an alarm for the morning in case he didn’t wake up on time naturally. He picked up the phone and unlocked it with the passcode he knew off by heart, and turned the alarm off.

He couldn’t risk it.

He watched Ryan for a long moment. He almost couldn’t bring himself to leave, but he reminded himself as to why he was doing this.

It was to protect Ryan, so Ryan didn’t need to protect him.

He slipped out of the room. He resisted every urge in him that wanted to turn around, but he wouldn’t let himself. If he turned around, he’d never leave.

He made his way out of the penthouse, wiping away tears that threatened to spill from his eyes. The Vagabond mask was clutched tightly in his right hand. The final piece of this charade.

As he stepped out of the door, he put the mask on, and headed towards the meeting point.

He got to the docks early.

He’d left in the early hours of the morning to make sure that he got out before Ryan saw what he was doing. He knew that he would arrive way too soon, so he took a slow stroll across Los Santos to fill the time, but he still ended up getting there with lots of time to spare.

Gavin stood at the end of one of the docks, looking out at the lake before him.

Los Santos wasn’t a very pretty place, but in the early hours of the morning it didn’t look too bad.

The sun hadn’t quite risen yet. The sky was still grey, and clouds still lingered about, blocking out the first rays of sunshine, but it was quiet and calm.

He could see his reflection in the water. He’d never thought he’d dislike the sight of the Vagabond before him, but right now he hated what he was looking at and wished it could be any other way.

“I didn’t deem the Vagabond as being punctual, let alone as someone who arrives _early_.”

Gavin turned at the new voice, and found a group making their way down the docks to him. He didn’t recognise any of them, perhaps they were some new crew.

However, a new crew wouldn’t get to his boyfriend so easily.

“What, not even a hello?”

The man who was talking was short and his hair was slicked back with grease. They all wore matching leather jackets, and Gavin could almost laugh at how they looked like they’d stepped out of some 70s movie if the situation wasn’t so sad.

He didn’t say anything in response. He knew his voice would betray him, it would come out too shaky and all _wrong_. So, he opted for the silent treatment. It’s what Ryan would have done.

“Oh, yeah. I forget you’re not much of a talker.” The man smiled, and Gavin felt sick.

“Let’s just cut to the chase. You know why we’re here.”

He didn’t. He wasn’t sure if Ryan would’ve known either.

The man reached into the inner pocket of his jacket and pulled out a gun. He pointed it straight at Gavin.

“You know the deal. We can’t have you around anymore. You’re bad for business, always stepping on our toes and whatnot. We need you out of the picture, and you need your Golden Boy alive.”

Gavin tried his hardest not to flinch at the mention of himself.

“Not even going to put up a fight? Or beg for your life?”

Gavin wanted so badly to say something. To convince this man to leave Ryan alone.

But he couldn’t, because _he_ was Ryan. He was standing before this gang with the mask and leather jacket and was giving them the silent treatment that made Ryan seem so cruel and frightening.

He had to show he didn’t care, because he cared so much for Ryan.

“Why am I not surprised.” The safety clicked off the gun. “I’d say sorry that it has to be this way, but I’m not.”

Pain struck his chest the same time a loud bang echoed across the previously quiet lake.

The wind was knocked out of him and he stumbled backwards. His too big shoes hit the edge of the dock and he couldn’t find grip as he slipped back, straight into the water.

He didn’t have time to suck in a breath before he was under. The pain in his chest consumed him. The force of hitting the water knocked the mask from his face. He watched the light of the surface get further away, but he didn’t fight it.

If he got back to the surface and they were still there, they’d know it was all fake. They’d probably hurt Ryan much worse once they found out Gavin had gone in his place.

Gavin couldn’t let that happen.

His eyes fell shut. On his eyelids, he could see Ryan. Could see him smiling at him, laughing with him. He would be mad once he found out what Gavin did, but Gavin hoped he would understand.

Hoped he knew that just as much as Ryan wanted to protect Gavin, Gavin wanted to protect Ryan.

* * *

Ryan woke up feeling cold.

It wasn’t a sensation he’d felt for a while, and it took him a moment too long to realise what the cause of it was.

The space on the bed next to him was empty. Where Gavin would usually cuddle into his side and provide him extra warmth, there was no one there.

Ryan thought that maybe he had gotten up early, even though it was still very early, but after the events of the evening before, something just didn’t seem right.

He reached for his phone on the nightstand, and cursed when he saw the time. It was already gone seven am. He’d set his alarm for at least an hour before, but he was never one to sleep through it.

He checked to see if he’d actually set it and was surprised to find that the alarm was off.

He sat up in bed, and instantly saw that his jacket, that he usually left on the back of a chair in the corner of the room, was gone.

He knew where Gavin was.

Cold dread filled his stomach as he kicked the sheets off and burst out of the bedroom.

He immediately went to the room next to his. He banged on the door but didn’t wait for a reply before he threw it open.

Geoff blinked up a him blearily, still half asleep.

“Ryan? What-”

“Get up, Geoff. It’s Gavin, we need to go save him.”

“What? Why?” Geoff was rubbing his eyes as he sat up.

“We don’t have time for questions, Geoff. We need to go _now_. Get everyone else up, I’ll explain it all on the way.”

Ryan left the room without another word and headed back to his room. He threw on some clothes, whatever he could find, and slipped his feet into some shoes.

He noticed that some of his clothes were missing in the process, which only confirmed his theory even more.

He heard Geoff wake everyone else up and explain the situation to them. Ryan was grateful for him; he didn’t think he could talk anymore with how much his mind was racing.

He headed to the door of the penthouse. Thankfully, everyone else wasn’t far behind, and he didn’t have to wait for them before they all headed out the door.

Ryan explained it all to them on the way to the docks. They all asked him why he hadn’t told them sooner, but he said that that didn’t matter right now. All that mattered was Gavin.

Ryan sped through the streets of Los Santos. The city was fairly quiet this time in the morning, which made navigating the roads easy. He got to the docks by seven thirty, and hoped he wasn’t too late.

He was too late.

The gang was already there. A gun was pointed at Gavin as he stood on the edge of the dock and was dressed like the Vagabond.

A gunshot resonated across the docks and Gavin fell. Ryan ran down the steps onto the docks and pulled out his gun. With the help of the rest of the crew, the gang was down before they even saw them coming.

Ryan didn’t stop running as he headed to the end of the dock and dived straight in.

He could see a shadowy figure down below and kicked harder to reach them.

His fingers brushed against the edges of his jacket and he reached just that bit further to grasp hold of Gavin’s arm.

Once he had a proper grip on him, Ryan swam his way back up to the surface. Gavin was limp against him as they broke from the water and Ryan sucked in fresh air.

He swam back to the dock, where the rest of their crew were waiting for them. He passed Gavin over and they hauled him from the lake. He was heavy as his waterlogged clothes weighed him down, but Ryan helped push him out of the water.

He climbed up afterwards and crawled over to Gavin, where Jack was already performing CPR on him.

Ryan was worried that he would be bleeding from a gunshot wound and Jack would just be making that worse as he pressed on his chest. But when he realised that there was no blood, he figured out that Gavin had at least been smart enough to put on body armour.

The next several moments were excruciating as he watched Jack puff air back into Gavin’s lungs and push against his ribs, but soon the silence was broken by Gavin coughing up lake water.

Ryan slumped in relief. This wasn’t over, but for now, Gavin was alright.

Later, Ryan was sat next to the bed in their makeshift infirmary in the penthouse. Gavin was in the bed, pointedly not looking at Ryan.

“Why did you do it?” Ryan asked.

“Why did you not tell me?” Gavin asked back.

Ryan sighed, and it reminded him of the night before when they were arguing. “I was trying to protect you.”

“Well, now you know why I did it, too.” Gavin finally looked up at Ryan.

Ryan really did not know how to argue with that. How could he be mad at Gavin for doing the very thing he was planning to do? He was only angry that Gavin got there first.

“I just wish that you would have told me everything,” Gavin said quietly. “We could have worked something out together.”

“I know.” Now Ryan was the one who wasn’t looking at Gavin. “I was wrong. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have tried to keep things from you.”

“I’m sorry too.”

They sat in silence for a short while, but then Gavin scooted over on the bed.

Ryan took that as a silent invitation for him to join him, so he climbed into the bed beside him.

Gavin scooted closer to him once he was laying comfortably, and Ryan tucked him against his side in the way that he missed the night before.

Gavin placed his head on Ryan’s chest and Ryan placed his chin on Gavin’s head. Soon he heard Gavin fall asleep, and Ryan could feel that he wasn’t far behind.

He stayed awake for as long as he could, just so he could know for sure that Gavin was safe in his arms, but soon his eyes fell shut as well.


End file.
